Starless: Reloaded
by Twilights-Pain
Summary: Mai's only had one dream for all of her life: Find a way out. Now, after thirty years of imprisonment and heartbreak, Mai takes the biggest risk of all; Fleeing the prison and finding a true escape. What she finds: love, something she can't trust anymore.
1. Prologue

It was utterly quiet in the small study located within the darkest corner of the small underground headquarters of the most sinister beings in the world. A girl sat in the center of the room, her beautiful blue eyes unfocused as she painted a beautiful picture. She moved stiffly, almost robotically as she painted. There was no passion in her movements at all, despite painting being a passionate art. She looked as if every emotion had been drawn from her.

Just a few feet away, at the farthest corner of the room, to men stood. Both had dark hair, but one had dark red bangs and had a more youthful appearance than the man beside him. The more youthful one refused to look at the girl, a wild emotion in his eyes.

"Domeinico, you act as if the plant would bite you. She is not a Venus fly trap, you made sure of that." The man stated, laughing coldly as he patted Domeinico on the shoulder. Domeinico flinched forward slightly, before stiffening again and regaining his composure.

"Perhaps..." Domeinico stated slowly and closed his eyes before adding: "But the plant is very deceptive."

Domeinico's companion barked a sharp laugh and shook his head.

"Not this one. She has no fight left in her, you made sure of that one, Domeinico."

The responding flinch on the younger mans part made his regret known, further displeasing his companion. The man was already angry at Domeinico for showing his regret in breaking the girl.

"You should not regret breaking her spirit. You helped with the plan." He told him sternly. "You proved yourself while _she_ could not."

"Yes... you're right..." Domenico nodded as a crack echoed throughout the room, bringing their attention to my hiding spot. They saw the large hunk of wood now lying on the ground, the telltale signs of fingers having been gouged into it obvious within the chunk.

"Domeinico...?" The man began warily as Domeinico shifted slightly, now looking at the still girl. For a moment, realization shined in his eyes, only to disappear as he shoved the man aside and into the wall, clearing the way for me. I ran past him, brushing his side and whispering a soft thank you.

As I ran, I heard the other man shouting and scolding Domeinico, only to silence himself when Domeinico told him that the girl had disappeared and he did it to protect him. After that, his voice faded into nothing as I tore out of the castle and found myself underneath the beautiful starry sky.

* * *

**AN: Another School year, another fresh batch of Fan Fiction. I'm excited to edit and come back to both of these. I had so many plans for Starless and they all fell through. This time though, I'm making it good.**

**Notable changes: **

**-More conflict between Collin and Mai; Collin doesn't run off.**

**-A little more backstory on Mai; occasional flashbacks**

**-More Paul backstory. What's been going on in his love life? What caused him to calm down.**

**-More time for Paul and Mai's relationship to build**

**-More Domeinico. His appearance and feelings for Mai felt too abrupt in Totality.**

**-Mai's feelings and hesitation toward moving on to Paul. **


	2. Chapter 1: Italian Angel

The sun was shining and hitting the water flowing through the canals of Venice in such a way that it created tiny diamonds on the surface. I couldn't help but chuckle when I saw this, wondering how, by some weird fate, Collin and I had ended up in one of the most romantic cities in the world together. Neither of us swayed that way; Collin and I both had laid more girls than even the late Hugh Hefner had it seemed. Not that that was any evidence, but really, who could hold a relationship and a gay one at that when at any minute you could see a random girl and suddenly want to be with them. That was why Collin and I stuck to one night stands; easy to get in and easy to get out.

There were rare occasions of course, both of us had had them. Sometimes hearts got too close and things just happened. They always ended badly, naturally, since every couple that wasn't fully compatible fell apart.

_Shit Paul, you sure you ain't gay?_ I asked myself and let out another laugh. From beside me, Collin turned his head to me, the rest of his body staying perfectly relaxed against the railing.

"You're laughing a lot over there. Seeing things again Paul?"

"Shut up Collin before I throw your ass into the water."

He scowled at me and almost seemed to be daring me to do so. I, however, turned away and stomped down my anger. Attacking Collin in the middle of the street wouldn't do me any good whatsoever. In fact, it would only get me in trouble with Jake and everyone else in the vicinity. Besides, phasing while we were in enemy territory was idiotic.  
Collin seemed to realize that there was no point in jeering me about petty things for he quieted, glancing the other way and bringing the wrapped bottle to his lips.

"Don't know why you drink that shit, Collin. It's damn near impossible to get a good buzz going on, let alone get blasted. Besides, that only makes you-"

"Oh shut it, Paul. Your not my mother."

I started to say something more, but at that moment an argument broke out. Standing at my full height and jumping onto the railing, I saw a small girl facing off with a man nearly ten times her height. Her back was turned to me, but I could tell by her figure that she was older than her height would have given away.

"Gimme that apple kid. You didn't bother paying!" The man shouted, making a grab at her. The girl merely danced to the right and raised the apple in question to her lips.

"This apple sir?" She asked playfully, taking a bite and then spitting it at him. "I do believe that you are mistaken."

The moment I heard her voice, chills ran down my spine. It was so divinely beautiful that I nearly found myself begging for her to speak more. That was the furthest thing from the girls mind though, she quickly dove into the crowd, making her way toward Collin and I. With barely a second to think, the both of us shimmied to the side, making way for the girl that leaped easily into the canal.

In those seconds that she was suspended in midair though, she met my eyes. Before I even processed what was going on, my entire universe shifted. Instead of my thoughts and actions being revolved around me, they were all about her. I wanted to touch her face; to hear her voice.

Most of all, I wanted her and needed her to stay.

Without another thought, I followed her into the canal, swimming after her. She was, admittedly, a lot faster than I was and a bit of a better swimmer, but the power behind my strokes was enough to keep pace with her.

After about five minutes of pursuit, the girl cut to the side and clambered onto the ledge. Struggling with adjusting my angle, I followed her path, falling behind as I did. By the time I made it onto the street, she was fifteen feet ahead of me and turning down another alley.

When I reached her turning point, I found that it was a dead end, but oddly enough there was no girl in sight. Slowing my pace, I looked around the alley, searching for a hiding place or hidden door. There was nothing, of course, so I leaned against a wall, blinking in confusion.

As I sat there, something hard collided with my head. Turning, I found a green apple with a large bite taken out of it laying on the ground. The moment my hand wrapped around it, I heard a tittering laugh and just barely saw a shadow bolt to the left. By the time I got my head up, the girl was long gone.

All at once, my world seemed to crash down as if someone threw a rock into a mirror. My imprint had ran away from me, leaving me with nothing but the clothes on my back. Suddenly my life didn't seem all that great.

After ten minutes of thinking like that, I began to make my way back to the hotel. The trip back itself was unpleasant, lost imprint or no. My jeans were rubbing against my upper leg, bringing forward pain in many unmentionable places. I also had to deal with the hateful looks of the local civilians, all of them thinking I was some sort of rabble-rouser or something. I merely looked at them with a blank stare, my heavy heart to weary to muster up any anger. I couldn't shake the depression at the thought of losing my imprint like that. Along with that, I knew the odds of me finding her again in this maze of a city (Or any city at all for that matter) was nearly impossible, so I didn't even bother hoping.

Collin was already back at the hotel, busily talking into the phone in the bathroom. I ignored him and quietly crept to my bed, the one closest to the window, and gazed outside.

"It was really weird, Jake. I've never seen Paul act like that. It was something else completely took over. Oddly enough it was after this really weird girl ran past her. I think he might have imprinted her."

I could hear the laughter on the other line and nearly slammed my fist through the wall. Of course no one would believe that I, Paul the Womanizer, had imprinted. It was one of those few things that we could believe in; that I would never imprint or be loved.

"I know... it's unlikely... yeah probably just being ridiculous. Thanks anyways. As for the girl… just keep an eye on her Jake. What she says might or might not be the truth and while I'd love to rip her head off for being associated with someone like that, we can't know for sure. Besides, the mind reader has his trust in her, so the rest of the family probably does too."

I heard the phone click and listened to Collin's approaching footsteps. I didn't make any move to hide myself; I couldn't care less about Collin knowing that I had heard. If anything, it might have made him regret talking about me like that, but I doubted it. He most likely rub it in my face.

Collin did neither though. He looked at me and then walked to his bed, sprawling out across it. Part of me begged to go over and wrestle him to the ground, demanding that he apologized, but my dominant self didn't even see the point in that.

I must have sat there for hours, because before I knew what had happened, it was pitch black out and Collin was snoring. Outside it was still, the night laying a blanket on everything in sight. It definitely gave the city that aura of mystery and magic that everyone spoke of. Even a part of me was wondering if that special merry-go-round that could alter ages or whatever really existed here.

Not that I needed it or anything, but seeing something like that would still be cool.

With that I let out a sigh and laid down, my head nestling into the pillows. After a few minutes, my dreams invaded my mind, painting a picture of a tiny blond girl and a merry-go-round.

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**AN: Sorry if the beginning of the chapter offends. It's not my intention to do so, I was mainly writing from the way Paul (or Collin) would see it. **


	3. Chapter 2: Washing it Away

**-Mai POV-**

From the top of the roof I watched the stunning young man twist about in his futile search to find me. Within my hands I clutched my small dinner and snickered before tossing it at his head. It hit it with a resounding clunk, at which point I dropped from the building and hid against the wall, watching my target intently. He stooped down and grabbed the apple, examining it for a second. As he was distracted, I bolted across the mouth of the alley and ran across the now clear path. There were no sounds of pursuit, but I ran on anyways. Part of me enjoyed the feeling of the wind blowing across my face. I figured that part of me was the part that had been shut down while in the tower.

I shivered at the thought and flicked my gaze in the direction of Volterra. I knew without having to look at a map or anything where Volterra was. It was the one place that while I never wanted to go back, I would always know where it was.

_Relax..._ I told myself, walking toward a hotel. While the man at the shop had been distracted, I had stole his days profit and then the apple. I supposed with the money I had in my pocket that the apple was pointless, but it looked delicious. I hadn't had one since I was two years old, the day was taken.

I shuddered at the thought and walked into the hotel. It was a dinky little place, nothing like the posh thing that existed in other parts of the city. To me though, it was a five star hotel compared to what I had been sleeping in.

However, the man at the desk was less than pleasant. He looked me over in disgust before asking what I wanted in a tone that barely passed as respectful. Part of me had the urge to trash the room before I left. However, I gave him a sweet smile and slipped four twenties over the desk.

"One night please?" I asked, speaking softly in Italian and tilting my head. He glanced at me, rolling his eyes before he slipped a key across the desk and wished me a nice day. With another smile I skipped quite literally down the hall and to my room. Once there, I threw myself on the bed and closed my eyes with the intention to relax and forget.

However, my mind had other ideas. It brought the face of my pursuer to the surface, his dark brown eyes looking so confused and almost hurt as I hid from him. His eyes reminded me of Domeinico, emotional when they wanted to be.

"Let it go Maia." I told myself, pushing myself off of the bed and walking to the mirror. My hair was starting to dry already, but it looked matted and slightly disgusting. My face still had dirt and grime on it and I was sure I had a sunburn developing on my shoulders. Looking at myself, I felt sickened and made my way into the bathroom. The shampoos looked far to small for use, but I knew I had to make do.

Stripping down, I got into the shower and played around with the faucets until the water was hot enough for me. I stood in the spray for awhile, eyes closed as it relaxed every muscle in my body. After awhile I opened an eye and saw that the bottom of the tub was nearly pitch black from dirt. It took everything in my body to keep from laughing at it.

"Never thought I could look much worse." I muttered, squirting a blob of shampoo on my hand. Working quickly, I massaged it into my hair, wincing as my fingers tore through tangled clumps. Each time my hands made it through, brown suds flicked everywhere, bringing me back to the throughts of destroying the room. It seemed much more appealing now that I had ruined the tub, but I decided to keep it to just that.

When I got out of the shower, I started to hear voices from the nearby room. Turning my head, I pressed my ear to the wall and listened.

"It was really weird, Jake. I've never seen Paul act like that. It was something else completely took over. Oddly enough it was after this really weird girl ran past her. I think he might have imprinted her."

Tilting my head in surprise, my mind drifted to only an hour ago, when I ran past the two boys. I had barely heard their voices, but I dimly recognized this voice to have belonged to one of them.

I could barely hear the response of the other person, distorted as it was. I assumed that it was a phone conversation.

"Paul? Imprint... you're joking right?"

"I know... it's unlikely... yeah probably just being ridiculous. Thanks anyways. As for the girl… just keep an eye on her Jake. What she says might or might not be the truth and while I'd love to rip her head off for being associated with someone like that, we can't know for sure. Besides, the mind reader has his trust in her, so the rest of the family probably does too."

My eyes widened as I realized exactly who I was dealing with. The two boys were from La Push, the same people that I had been told to kill my entire life.

Before I knew what I was doing, I had pulled my clothes on and was sneaking out onto the balcony and to their own. Once I had situated myself, I peeked into the room and found that both boys were settled down. The first seem preoccupied with some kind of magazine with a girl pasted across the cover, wearing only a bikini. The second boy was asleep, his face showing signs of distress. I realized that this boy was the one who had followed me earlier.

I don't know how long I sat there, gazing at him, but I soon realized that I was feeling slightly fuzzy inside as I looked at him. It sounded childish to even think, let alone say, ut that was truly how I felt. This boy, so peaceful as he slept, was making me feel different. Even when I looked at Domeinico I never felt this.

I leaned closer, just as the boy shifted and opened his eyes. Everything crashed down in that second as he shot to his feet and glared at me as if I was some kind of enemy. Scrambling, I leaped to my feet and prepared to fight for my life, something I'd never been good at, when he threw the door open.


	4. Chapter 3: Mai

**~Paul POV~**

The second I saw the pale figure at my door, I was certain it was one of those italian bastards, the Volturi. She was peeking in, so ready to open int and probably tear out my throat. I wasn't going to let that happen, and Ias far as I was concerned I had the upperhand. Throwing the door open, I lunged, albeit a little foolishly, and crashed into her. To my surprise, It didn't feel like stone, but soft human like flesh.

We both collided with railing it, cracking it in several places. The girl struggled beneath my, swearing in both english and Italian and clawing at my skin. It stung only momentarily, but it opened my eyes as well.

The girl beneath me was no vampire, she was the girl I had seen earlier that day, the thief that I had imprinted. My entire system seemed to convulse as I realized I had probably broken several bones within her body. She sure didn't act like it though, she moved perfectly fine as she launched her wild assault on me.

"Stop." I told her softly. "Stop I'm not going to hurt you."

She stopped flailing and glared up at me, chest heaving.

"Then what the hell was that?!" She sneered,

"I didn't think... I thought you were something else... some_one_ else."

"Blind idiot." She muttered, "Can you get off me now?"

I nodded and scrambled back, only to stop as she twisted on her heels and started to run away. I lashed my hand out and caught her shirt, holding her up.

"Hold up." I told her, pulling her back and inside.

"What? Have a desire to get you jollies from me?"

I rolled my eyes, partially thinking that I could get any whore off of the street to get my 'jollies' from. I didn't think it wise to say that though, wanting to make the best impression I possibly could. Of course, it was probably all in vain now.

"Go on, silent wonder. Answer me!" She demanded.

"No, I don't want to. Just want to ask what you were doing outside of my room." After a second I added, "Because maybe _you _were trying to get your jollies from me."

"Whatever. You wish." She jerked away and plopped down on the bed. "Get to talking."

I sighed a little, already envisioning the hell I was going to have to go through to actually draw a conversation out of her.

"Well, that's start out with the important one."

"Why I was here? Well-"

I shook my head, cutting off what I knew was going to be an extremely long rant. I kind of enjoyed the annoyed look she gave me beneath her light eyelashes and the way her blue eyes flashed.

"How 'bout, are you okay?"

She blinked slowly, as if she had never been asked the question before. For a second, her eyes were extremely emotional and watery, but then it was all blinked away and a hard look crossed over hre face.

"I'm fine. Next question."

"Alright. Now you can tell me why you were here..."

She rolled her eyes.

"I heard you through the wall... you guys were being really loud. So I came over to check it out... and then I saw the food on your table..." She pointed a little, a smirk on her face. "And got super hungry so I decided to sneak in and eat it."

"Really? That's all?"

"Uh huh." She bobbed her head quickly. "Can I go now?"

"Nope. You said you were hungry, so go and eat."

She glared up at me before standing and dancing over to the plate. I was surprised at how small she was, both height and width wise. I knew that shorter people could be slimmer, but this seemed broderline unhealthy. Her cheek bones were slightly prominent, her arms like sticks and her wrist bones were completely obvious. Her height was also surrpising, she barely seemed to stand above four feet.

The girl continued to glare until she reached the food. When she did, her face softened a little and she tore into it, completely unladylike but amusing to watch.

When she finished, she covered her mouth with her hand and looked at me.

"C-can I have more?" She asked.

"I don't think we have any, but I-"

"Oh. Alright then" she interrupted, looking toward the bed that Collin occupied. An old playboy magazine was rested on his chest and the blankets were thrown everywhere. Remarkably, he was still out.

"Can I ask your name?" She asked, drawing me back to her.

"Erm.. yeah... it's Paul... yours?"

"Maia. But... Mai for short." She said softly, all her former hostility dropped.

"Ah. Nice to meet you then."

"Yeah.." she nodded a little and looked outside, before looking back at me.

"So why did you steal from that guy earlier?"

Mai looked up at me and shrugged a little, hiding a flinch that alerted me to a deeper trouble. There was something much more wrong with her than this anger.

"Needed food... and money."

"You're homeless then?"

"Yeah.... I guess so. Is that what they call us now?" She allowed a small smile.

"Where have you been staying?"

"Sides of roads... bus terminals..."

"Runaway then?"

"Yup." She nodded, not meeting my eyes now. Instead she was looking out at the moon, eyes unreadable.

"Hardly seems safe..." I stated, wanting so desperately to reach out and touch her, hold her... all that. I knew I couldn't, that I could ruin everything if I did.

"It isn't." She smirked a little. "But I can take care of my self."

I nodded a little.

"Where do you plan on going now?"

"Who knows... where ever I can... I kind of want to get away from this country..."

I started to say something more, but at that moment Mai turned to me, small bubbles of tears in her eyes.

"Can I stay with you... for awhile... please?" She pleaded, dark blue eyes wide and emotional. Her tiny hands reached out and took my shirt, shaking me with surprising force. "Just for awhile."

"Y-Yeah." I nodded a little and touched her head. "Go right ahead."

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**AN: Next chapter is going to be Mai's POV. It's going to go into her little break down... hope you enjoyed.... and yes I'm back in power!**


	5. Chapter 4: Misunderstanding

Mai calmed down not long after that and seated herself on my bed, light blond hair flowing smoothly. She looked a lot cleaner than she had yesterday, which made me remotely curious. I didn't think she had followed me all the way to the hotel, she seemed far to cautious to do something like that. However, she _had_ realized I was there.

"So did you rent a room here?"

Mai jerked her head up, having been absorbed in twiddling a loose thread on the shirt she was wearing. The clothes looked like they were made for someone much smaller than her, even if people didn't come much smaller than her, and they were coated in dust. Her skin had a red tint to it and, while she was clean, something about her just seemed dull. Even her voice didn't sound right, when she answered with a brisk 'yes.'

I mulled this over for awhile, allowing Mai to sit in the silence she seemed to enjoy. It wasn't long until that silence was broken by a soft snore on her part though. I glanced at her, raising my eyebrow. I hadn't even realized how tired she was until this very second. But the signs were there, clear as day, with the tell tale shadows beneath her eyes.

She looked as if she hadn't had a good nights sleep in days.

I watched her for awhile, touching her soft head after a few minutes. She leaned into the touch, a light smile crossing her lips. I almost allowed a smile for my self, but at that moment Collin sat up, stretching out and letting his Playboy magazine thump to the ground. He looked around for a few minutes, scratching his head and then slicking his hair back before facing me.

"What's-" He broke off, his eyes alighting on Mai's angelic form. I could see the thoughts processing in his eyes, endless conclusions being drawn in his eyes. I could tell exactly what he was thinking, that the old Paul was back.

* * *

_"Come on, Paul, you can't be serious. You don't even know what love is." Collin shouted, looking at his friend from over the neck of a beer bottle. I only stared at him, completely serious._

_"Is that so hard to believe?" I asked, raising an eyebrow._

_"Yeah! Come on, you yourself used to say that girls were only good for one thing and that's pleasure. What's with the change."_

_"Her."_

_

* * *

_

_  
_"Score man! How did you rake in an Italian girl over night?" He asked. "I didn't even hear you guys either!"

I looked down, gazing softly at Mai's perfectly sculpted face, before glaring daggers up at Collin.

"Shut up man, she's sleeping."

"And?" He cocked his head. "She has to wake up some time so she can leave, right?"

"No!" I all but shouted, pushing myelf to my feet. "You don't understand, do you?"

Collin frowned a little and then glanced at Mai. He could only see the back of her, so he moved around by me to get a better look. All at once he busted up laughing, holding his stomach for awhile and then doubling over. In the meantime, Mai's eyes scrunched together and then flew open, looking over at Collin in a deadly glare.

"Could you _shut _up?" She growled, sitting up fluently without even having to use her hands.

Collin stopped immediately and looked at her.

"You're the thief from the market, aren't you."

"So what if I am?" she retorted, tone coated with acid.

"So, That's all Paul could dig up. You'd think you could do better man. Come on, a street girl. Don't you know what you could get from-"

"Shut up!" I roared, crossing the room in about two steps and shoving Collin against the wall. He hit it with a crack, sending small bits of stucco raining down onto the floor. Collin grunted in response, trying to get a grip or a decent kick in on me. Nothing worked; my strength and position made it impossible for him.

"What's wrong? Can't take the fact that I can jeer on your tastes."

"She's not what you think!"

"Oh? Then what is she then? She's not some tramp you picked up to get back in the game."

"No. For Christ sake no. She's my... she's... my... y'know?" I tried to explain it without saying it, not wanting to weird Mai out by the term. Collin, however, was as slow, if not slower, as ever.

"Your booty call?" He started. Before I knew it, my fist was up and had collided with his mouth. Part of me was sadistically satisfied when I heard his teeth crack.

"No." I hissed, lowering my voice. "She's my _imprint, _dammit."

Collin's eyes widened for a second and his gaze drifted to Mai again, before he started laughing. Both saliva and blood spewed from his mouth when he did.

Neither he nor I saw my fist going to his gut.

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**AN: I'm sorry, I didn't put in what I said I would.... but I tried to write it out and it just didn't work. It will come in soon, I promise. **


	6. Chapter 5: Feelings and Ice Cream

**AN: Many thanks to Kikimaster for 'beta'ing' for me, and moral support. Her awesomeness and threats produced this chapter!**

* * *

**~Mai POV~**

"So.... what was all that about?"

Paul and I had abandoned the hotel room, leaving Paul's angry and now pained friend behind. We were now walking along one of the bridges that stretched across Venice's many canal's. The beauty and tranquility of it all made it easy to believe that it was always this peaceful around here. It was also easy to believe that a terror beyond all belief was only a couple hundred miles away, plotting the demise of many hundreds of vampires and humans alike. I nearly grimaced when I realized that I was probably in those numbers somewhere.

"What was what? Me and Collin?" Paul asked. His large and powerful hands were now shoved into the pockets of his very tight jeans. They had been there since we left, after Paul had looked at his hands sickly.

"Yeah... it just came out of nowhere..."

Paul shrugged a little, not meeting my gaze. His eyes instead rested on a building in the distance, or perhaps even the sky, but never on me.

"He thought it would be wise to say some stuff about you... untrue stuff as you heard.... I got a little angry at him for saying it."

I wasn't sure what I was more confused about; the name that Collin called me, a booty call, as well as all the other things he had spat out, or the fact that Paul had defended me and had punched his friend over it. I was certain that he hadn't been around me for half or even a quarter as long as he'd known Collin, especially if they were sharing a room. The way Collin had talked on the previous night with the other man was further evidence, even if it was a horrible thing to say.

_But what if he did it because he feels something for you?_ Some part of me questioned. The responding thrill that ran through me when I thought of Paul liking me was impressive, but also made me feel like a traitor. I knew that back in my so called home, Domeinico had some amount of feelings for me, or so I liked to believe. He wouldn't have let me escape, if he didn't feel anything for me.

_He's half a country away, Mai._ My mind pointed out, poking at every sensitive part of my brain. _And if he really cared he would have left with you, or even sided with Cassia in the first place. He wouldn't have forced you do this, or stood by when those Italian monsters put you through what you did._

I shook my head rapidly, trying to sound out my own voice that was running me over like a tidal wave. Paul saw this and looked at me, a dark eyerbrow raised above an even darker eye. His eyes looked speculative, but beneath them I could sense a feeling of concern... of worry. I didn't like the look on him, it didn't suit him.

In an effort to nix that look from his eyes, I burst out with the stupidest question I could have asked.

"Why did you defend me? Is it because you like me? And what the hell is a booty call?"

Paul blinked for a second, then turned his head away and snickered. Instantly, my face flushed a deep red that I knew reached my neck. My eyes also started to water from embarrassment and I quickly turned my face away to hide it. Paul however, reached over and touched my chin, then turned it fully to him, a full blown grin spread across his mouth. The brilliant smile exposed his teeth, perfectly white and in perfect contrast with his beautiful russet skin.

"A booty call is something you'll never be." he stated, not releasing my chin. "Something you don't need to know about if you don't know already."

"Why did Collin call me that then?"

"Because he's an ass..." he released my chin and moved his hand down to my own, brushing my arm just so slightly. I could only hope he didn't see the goosebumps it raised, or the way my blush, most likely all over my face now, increased in intensity. After he secured his gentle grip (His hands were just slightly rough) he tugged me along and into a tiny square. In the farthest corner, just off to the side of another street, was a small ice cream stand. It was there that Paul led me.

Back in the tower, I never had anything beside protein. Fatty foods were outlawed, and if it weren't for the experiments we were put through and the fights we got into, we probably would have been the healthiest people in the world. Our leaders, whoever they were, didn't want unhealthy vampires fighting for them; we had to be strong. Ice cream, as I learned after a brutal beating, was absolutely unhealthy.

I shuddered at, feeling each faded scar across my body tingle at the memory. It only made me want the Ice cream even more, since it meant defying what the Leaders had ordered. What hadn't expected, as I held the cone that Paul had handed me and I licked, was the cold. It made a shiver race down my spine and my head throbbed a little.

"It's _freezing._" I squeaked, pulling my tongue back. The taste of the white, ice-like sphere was delicious and nearly caused me to bite off the rest of it. I managed some measure of control though, knowing that one; Paul was watching me, and two; the sphere really was cold.

"Of course, Mai. Didn't you know that?" Paul asked, cocking his eyebrow again.

"No..." I responded awkwardly as Paul headed toward the nearest canal. He perched on the edge, letting his feet hang over as he leaned back. He smiled a little, that beautiful grin and then let out a breath of a laugh.

"Where did you live before you ran away then? A hole?" He asked, then seemed to think better of it. He looked away quickly, muttering a quick apology. I only shook my head and sat beside him.

"Don't be... and yeah, it was pretty much a hole." I stated, allowing a laugh. It came easily, despite being horribly faked. Paul had no idea how close he came to saying the truth.

"Sounds pretty bad..." He stated. "What took you so long to get out?"

"I was held back by some thing's." I admitted through my teeth.

"A guy?"

I looked up at Paul, certain that my eyes were flashing and then back down, giving a jerky nod. Paul sensed the 'don't-go-there' zone and quickly moved to another subject.

"You asked me another question right? Two actually..."

"I did..." I nodded slowly, taking another lick of the ice cream. "Why?"

"Well it's not exactly polite to not answer a question, now is it?"

"No..." I met his eyes momentarily before once again looking down, like a coward. The blush started to return, even though it had _just_ gone away.

"Exactly..." He chuckled, causing my gaze to drift up yet again. I found Paul's eyes locked on mine in an intense stare. His smile was fading, his face taking on a serious look. My heart kicked up a notch, beating at a rate that would have made any normal human faint.

"Well the truth is that..." he took a deep breath. "I don't just like you... it's a lot more than that."


	7. Hiatus

**Hiatus Warning:**

**Alright, so I'm putting this on hiatus, simply because I want to focus on the actual stories. You can read the Moonset story in the original. It might not be as good, but you might like it. I will continue these AFTER I finish Roadtrip: Reloaded and my .hack Reload (the only continued reloads), and ATWA, so I can lessen the work load. Thank you, and if you have anything to say (or do have an objection to me placing this on hiatus) PM me. I value your opinion.  
**


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